Samsung renews push for Tizen OS

Samsung Electronics, which has sought to reduce its reliance on Google’s Android, is gearing up to release new devices that use its own Tizen operating system.

On Wednesday, the Korean tech giant launched the first Tizen-powered smartphone, the Z1, in India. Priced at about $100, it is a budget phone that is designed to avoid market overlap with its higher-end mainstream Android devices.

Considering the market reception in India, the world’s third-largest market, the company said it may launch the phone in other regions, including China where the low-cost phone market is soaring.

Samsung originally intended to introduce the device last year, but delayed its launch reportedly to enhance the Tizen ecosystem.

The first Tizen smart TV also made its debut during the International CES last week, with its Korean launch planned for early next month. Samsung plans to equip all its new TV products with the Tizen platform.

“The market reaction for early Tizen wearables was lukewarm. With its debut on mainstay products (smartphones and TVs), the real test of its competitiveness has just started,” said an industry watcher.

Tizen is Samsung’s internally developed operating system that succeeds the Bada OS. After the dismal failure of the first Bada project in 2012, the company has poured resources into boosting Tizen’s software capability.

But skepticism is still prevalent about the Samsung OS, as it has failed to attract developers to create its own ecosystem.

With several delays of new devices, Tizen lost its growth momentum as its rivals, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, further expanded their market presence.

But Samsung hopes to buck the trend this year with its smart TV ―the key device in an era of the Internet of Things and a market where the company outperforms its rivals.

Industry watchers say that the Tizen will be promoted through budget devices in the early days while seeking to boost the more sophisticated TV and wearable markets in phases.

“For the Bada, we failed to create an ecosystem for developers. But now the situation has changed,” said a Samsung official. “We are confident that the Tizen will become a platform that controls all smart devices.”

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)